Intangible cultural heritage shows of 11 cities are staged at the opening ceremony of the 9th Shanxi Tourism Development Conference in Datong, June 27. [Photo/Shanxi Daily] 

The 9th Shanxi Tourism Development Conference opened in Datong, North China's Shanxi province, on June 27. 

During the opening ceremony, the tourism departments of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei province, Shanxi province, and Inner Mongolia autonomous region reached a collaborative development strategic partnership for tourism. The cities of Dalian, Dali, Datong, and Daqing also held a signing ceremony for friendly city cooperation. 

Wanda Group, China CYTS Tours Holding Co, CBRE Group, Tongcheng Tourism Group, Weiguanghuitong Culture and Tourism Investment Group, and Singapore Hua Yun Travel Agency Limited signed strategic cooperation agreements with the Datong municipal government. Meanwhile, the World Federation of Chinese Catering Industry awarded the title of "International Food Capital" to Datong. 

The conference has invited over 100 innovative tourism institutions, well-known tourism enterprises, and leading companies, as well as more than 100 major scenic spots, cultural and leisure districts, resorts, and performing arts entities from across the province, with the aim of jointly planning and promoting the innovative development of the supply side of Shanxi's tourism.

The cities of Dalian, Dali, Datong, and Daqing hold a signing ceremony for friendly city cooperation at the opening ceremony. [Photo provided to goshanxi.com.cn] 

During the conference, thematic meetings on educational tourism and museums have been held to introduce high-quality educational tourism resources, expand the educational tourism market, and promote the construction and development of cities of museums in Shanxi. 

The conference also focused on rural vitalization, showcasing successful cases of rural vitalization and theme-based rural tourism routes in Datong, while supporting the development of rural tourism. 

Since 2015, Shanxi has successfully held eight editions of the event, making it an important platform to enhance the image of host cities and promote the high-quality development of the province's tourism industry.